figure



March 3, 1964 T. ROWLANDS 3,122,974

MANUFACTURE OF MOUTHPIECE FOR CIGARETTES Original Filed Oct. 5, 1959 I Im I i F [HHHHUIL HHIIHIHI IIIIHllllllllllllmmllllIIHHHHU 0' IE '15 IE IE|D- P I 1 [a e! 33 2 5 IF Fig.4. I

l 2 le 33 I 6 IF 6, 5 5 7, 6, L r l //VV NTOR 0am ATTORNEYS UnitedStates This invention concerns improvements in or relating to themanufacture of mouthpieces for cigarettes. This application is adivision of my co-pending application Serial No. 844,326, filed October5, 1959, now Patent No. 3,052,164 issued on September 4, 1962.

It is known to provide cigarettes with mouthpieces comprising a tube ofstiff paper and containing filter material With the outer end of thetube extending somewhat beyond the outer end of the filter so that theconsumer does not contact the filter itself. Such mouthpieces areconveniently termed hollow mouthpieces. It is also known to providecigarettes with mouthpieces containing two or more portions of differingfilter materials arranged in tandem, such mouthpieces being known ascomposite mouthpieces. An object of the invention is to provide a methodof making hollow mouthpieces which contain two or more portions offilter material arranged in tandem, and cigarettes comprising suchmouthpieces.

The pieces of filter material are commonly termed stubs so a mouthpiecemade according to the invention will be a composite hollow mouthpiececontaining at least two stubs in tandem.

Various kinds of machinery are available, suitable or adaptable, formaking any of the products outlined above, and the present invention istherefore confined to the basic methods, the actual performance of themethods being according to the particular kind of machinery used.Generally speaking stubs and mouthpieces are made by continuous rodmethods and mouthpiece cigarettes are made by continuous rod or rollingmethods, though some mouthpieces are also rolled. It is also possible tomake the various products described herein by inserting some componentsinto tubes.

In the manufacture of these products there are difficulties inmechanically handling such things as stubs or mouthpieces if they areless in length than a certain minimum and the common practice is to feedrod-like material for such components to machines in multiple lengths,that is lengths long enough to be divided into a number of double-lengthcomponents, and to sub-divide these multiple lengths into double lengthsfor assembly with suitable pieces of cigarette rod, whereafter theassembled items are again subdivided to produce separate mouthpiececigarettes.

The purpose of providing composite mouthpieces is to secure betterfiltering and the stub nearer the consumers mouth must obviously be of amaterial which is attractive and acceptable to a consumer, for example,crepe paper. This stub may be termed the outer stub.

The inner stub may be of any kind and thus various chemical orchemically treated stubs which would be quite unacceptable alone may beemployed.

The invention provides a method of making a composite hollow mouthpieceas defined above, comprising the following steps:

(1) Enclosing a number of double-length inner stubs alternately withdouble-length outer stubs in abutting relationship in a paper tube,cutting the resulting rod (e.g. a continuous rod) thus formed intosuitable lengths for fat HCC machine feeding by bisecting double-lengthinner filters to provide single-length inner filters at each end of saidsuitable lengths (e.g. multiple-length rods).

(2) Sub-dividing such suitable lengths to provide pieces consisting oftwo single-length outer filters with a doublelength inner filter betweenand abutting them, and enclosing said pieces in a tube of stiff paperand spaced apart by twice the distance by which the tube is to extendbeyond the outer end of the stub in the finished cigarette and dividingthe rod thus formed (e.g. a continuous rod) into suitable lengths formachine feeding by cutting through double-length inner stubs to bisectthem and provide single-length outer stubs at each end of such suitablelengths (e.g. multiple-length rods).

(3) Sub-dividing said suitable lengths to provide double-lengthcomposite hollow mouthpieces.

A method of carrying the invention into effect will now be described byway of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a section of a double-length composite hollow mouthpiece;

FIGURE 2 is a section of a multiple-length rod comprising double-lengthouter stubs spaced apart and enclosed in a stiff paper tube havingsingle-length outer stubs at its ends;

FIGURE 3 is a section of a multiple-length rod to be cut to producedouble-length inner stubs, said rod normally comprising a thin paperwrapper;

FIGURE 4 is a section of a multiple-length composite hollow mouthpiecerod ready for feeding to an assembling machine of any kind;

FIGURE 5 is a section showing a double-length composite hollowmouthpiece of a kind shown in FIGURE 1 between two single-length piecesof cigarette rod and united thereto by a wrapper such as a cork tip.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that it would be difiicult tohandle the various short stubs shown in an automatic machine and that toproduce an article of the kind shown special methods are necessary. Inthe figure, 1 is a tube formed of stiff paper and 2 are singlelengthstubs which, as may be seen from FIGURE 5, will constitute outer stubsin the finished mouthpiece cigarette. 3 are single-length stubs whichwill constitute inner stubs in the finished mouthpiece cigarette. Afterassembly with pieces of cigarette rod, as related later, the componentof FIGURE 1 is bisected on the broken line A-A.

While the component shown in FIGURE 1 is almost long enough forsatisfactory feeding from a hopper, or like device, it is preferable fora number of reasons to use a multiple-length as shown in FIGURE 4 andcut it into pieces, like FIGURE 1, as it passes from the hop per to theassembly position and the production of such a multiple-length which iseffected in several stages will now be described with reference toFIGURES 2 to 4.

Referring first to FIGURE 2 double-length outer stubs 22 are arranged asshown and spaced apart by twice the distance by which the paper tube isto extend beyond the outer end of the outer stub in the finishedcigarette. The spaced stubs are enclosed in a stiff paper tube 1.

Normally such an article Will be made by a continuous rod process andthe rod is cut on the lines B-B to produce the multiple-length. Thislength is sub-divided at any convenient stage in the manufacture bybisecting each double-length stub 22 on the lines C-C to producedoublelength hollow mouthpieces.

Referring now to FIGURE 3 a multiple-length of inner stub material isshown, normally produced by a continuous rod process and provided withan outer wrapper 4 of thin paper. The continuous rod is severed on thelines D-D and the length is sub-divided at any conveni- 3 ent stagevinthe .manufacture on the lines 'E-E to produce double-length inner stubs,33, FIGURE 4.

Usually multiple-lengths as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 will be fed fromhoppers to a machine for making the composite rod shown inFIGURE 4andthe sub-division is then done in transit.

In FIGURE 4 single-length stubs bear the same reference as in FIGURE 1while double-length inner stubs bear the same references 33. It will beseen that doublelength inner stubs 22 are placed inabutting'relationship with the stubs 2 of the double-length hollowmouthpiece and the parts are joined by an outer wrapperv 5 of thinpaper. As the composite rod shown will be most usually made by acontinuous rod process, the continuous rod will be cut on the lines FFto produce themultiple length. Thus the cutting operation will bisectdouble-length inner stubs to produce the single-length inner stubs 3 atthe end of the multiple-length.

This multiple-length is sub-divided, for example in feeding from ahopper to an assembly device, the length benigcut on the lines G-G toproduce three items like that shown in FIGURE 1 and each such item isplaced between two pieces of cigarette rod 6, FIGURE 5, and the partsjoined by a short wrapper 7, usually a cork tip, whereafter the productis bisected on line AA and two composite hollow mouthpiece cigarettesare produced.

This method of assembly is the normal modern method but continuous rodassembly is obvious from the figure, simply requiring double-lengthcigarette rods which are subsequently bisected, and if it is desired tomake a short rod several times the length of that shown in FIGURE 5double-length cigarette rods may be employed for the inner cigarettesand bisected after assembly.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A method of making a double length composite hollowmouthpiece-comprising the following steps:

(l) Enclosing a number of double length outer stubs in a tube of paperand spaced apart by twice the distance by which the tube is .to extendbeyond the outer end of the outer stubs in the finished mouthpiece andcutting the rod thus formed into lengths suitable for machine feeding bybisecting double length stubs to provide single length stubs at eachendsof such suitable lengths; v

(2) Subdividing each said length by 'bisecting :.any remaining doublelength outer stubs to produce .double length hollow .mouthpieces havinga single length stub at each end;

(3) Assembling such double length hollow mouthpieces in regularalternation with double length innerstubs in suchmanner that each saidmouthpiece lies' be-' tween two of said inner stubs and each said innerstub lies between two of said mouthpieces, to form a composite rodjoined by outer wrapping material; (4) Dividing said composite rodtoxpro'duce multiple length rods suitable for feeding to a machine, bybi-' secting only double length inner stubs to provide single lengthinnerstubs at the ends of such multiple References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,994,251 Pollrnann Aug. 1, .1961

Muller Dec. 8, 1959v

